Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (d. 1928)
Alvin Christian "Al" Kraenzlein (December 12, 1876 – January 6, 1928), known as "the father of the modern hurdling technique", was an American track-and-field athlete, and the first sportsman in the history of Olympic games to win four individual gold medals in a single discipline at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. Before, Carl Schuhmann, a German athlete, won four Olympic titles in gymnastics and wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. As of 2016, Alvin Kraenzlein is the only track-and-field athlete who has won four individual titles at one Olympics. Kraenzlein is also known for developing a pioneering technique of straight-leg hurdling, which allowed him to set two world hurdle records. He is an Olympic Hall of Fame (1984) and USA Track & Field (1974) inductee.
1876Dec, 12
Alvin Kraenzlein
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Events on 1876
- 2Feb
Major League Baseball
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed. - 10Mar
Alexander Graham Bell
The first successful test of a telephone is made by Alexander Graham Bell. - 22Apr
MLB
The first game in the history of the National League was played at the Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia. This game is often pointed to as the beginning of the MLB. - 4Jun
First Transcontinental Railroad
An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco, via the First Transcontinental Railroad only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City. - 25Nov
Battle of the Little Bighorn
American Indian Wars: In retaliation for the American defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, United States Army troops sack the sleeping village of Cheyenne Chief Dull Knife at the headwaters of the Powder River.